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Calvin Pickard’s tenure with the Edmonton Oilers has been anything but boring.
He started as the third-string goalie manning the crease in AHL Bakersfield after joining the organization in 2022. He then got the call to back up Stuart Skinner early in 2023-24 after the Oilers’ rough start led the team to assign Jack Campbell to the AHL.
And just like that, Pickard started one of the biggest playoff games in recent Oilers history before signing a two-year contract extension in Northern Alberta during the summer. He played in Edmonton’s opening game as well this season after taking over for Skinner, who allowed five goals on 13 shots in a 6-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday. Pickard stopped six of seven shots in relief.
Each role carries different kinds of expectations and significance for a goaltender who’s been with six NHL organizations and 13 teams – AHL, NHL or Austrian League – since 2012-13. But wherever his play takes him, he knows what to do in the dressing room and on the ice to ensure he puts himself in the best spot to make the most of his opportunities.
“A big thing for me is not putting too much pressure on myself, whether it’s a regular season game, a playoff game,” Pickard told The Hockey News during training camp. “If I’m nervous or anxious, I’m not going to play my game, so I know what works for me, and I know where I need to be in my mind.”
Pickard proved serviceable last season in what was once considered a temporary call-up during Campbell’s AHL assignment. He remained the NHL backup for the rest of the season, playing 23 regular-season games and posting a 12-7-1 mark, .909 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average.
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While Pickard showed he was capable of helping Skinner, he showed in the playoffs he could backstop Edmonton out of a season-threatening deficit.
Skinner struggled early in Edmonton’s second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks, and the team trailed 2-1. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch decided to give Pickard his first career playoff start for Game 4. He delivered with 19 saves to even the series 2-2. While Pickard dropped Game 5 and returned to backup duties for the rest of the playoffs, not getting too overwhelmed by the moment was key to Pickard playing at his best.
“It means a lot, obviously,” Pickard said. “(Knoblauch) obviously had the confidence to play me a ton, and that meant a lot to me. Obviously, getting that start in the playoffs was a huge confidence boost for me. Going into this season, it’s nice to be a part of the tandem, but you know we definitely have some work to do.”
Heading into this season, Pickard’s ability not to put pressure on himself has also reflected his personality off the ice, making him one of the fun personalities in the Oilers’ dressing room.
“I take pride in being a locker room guy,” Pickard said. “It’s fun to keep it light around the guys and maintain a positive attitude because there’s always some gruelling stretches where you know it’s tough to get up for, but it’s so much coming to the rink every day here.”
Pickard’s personality and positive attitude have meshed well with Skinner’s consistently upbeat demeanor. The two goaltenders have formed a bond that has allowed both to work on getting better.
“No one sees the game like me and ‘Stu’ do, so we’re kind of on our own with our goalie coach, and we have a really good relationship,” Pickard said. “We’re always bouncing things off each other, and we both have a good positive attitude and we’re both trying to learn every day.”
That said, Pickard had some playfully strong words for Skinner regarding Movember mustaches. Pickard said he’ll grow one next month but added that the team’s starter isn’t playing fair in that aspect with a head start.
“He cheats – he always has,” Pickard said.
The tandem and the rest of the Oilers will hope their start goes much better than it did by last November, when they had an infamous 2-9-1 start before they turned it around. Wednesday’s blowout loss certainly doesn’t help, but Pickard’s focus before the season still applies.
“We obviously want to get off to a good start,” he said. “Last year, we didn’t, and we lost home ice because of it, so we just gotta take it one step at a time and one game at a time and build our game.”
Just like the Pickard, the team looks to make the most of its chances to impress. And while Pickard’s career has taken him many places, there’s a solid chance the next stop could be a repeat trip to playing for hockey immortality.
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